O'Rourke, Sears, Smith Named In Santer-led NZ Squad For Champions Trophy

O'Rourke, Sears, Smith named in Santer-led NZ squad for Champions Trophy    (Image Source: IANS)

ICC T20 World Cup: Pace trio Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears and Nathan Smith have been selected in a Mitchell Santner-led squad for the Champions Trophy and the preceding Tri-Series in Pakistan, the New Zealand Cricket announced on Sunday.

This is the first time Santner will be leading New Zealand at a major ICC event after being named full-time white-ball captain last month. He had a successful captaincy stint in the ODI & T20I series at home against Sri Lanka.

Sears, who was a travelling reserve for last year’s ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies, is selected after making his return to cricket in the Wellington Firebirds’ Super Smash defeat to the Central Stags on Thursday.

The 26-year-old was ruled out of November’s Test series in India and subsequently missed the first half of the New Zealand home international summer due to a knee injury.

The selections of O’Rourke and Smith caps off a breakthrough period for the pair, who have become regular contributors to the Black Caps across formats in recent seasons.

"ICC tournaments represent the pinnacle of our game, and it’s a huge honour to be picked to represent your country at them,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said. "I’d especially like to acknowledge Ben, Nathan and Will who will be attending their first senior ICC events and I know they’re really excited to do so."

Santner is selected as the frontline spin option, alongside all-rounders Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra, and will be supported by senior heads Kane Williamson, and Tom Latham, who will take the wicketkeeping gloves for the tournament.

Santner, Williamson and Latham were all part of the New Zealand squad for the last edition of the Champions Trophy in England and Wales in 2017, while Williamson also featured at the 2013 edition.

Matt Henry will spearhead the pace bowling attack, which is further bolstered by the experienced Lockie Ferguson, who embarks on his fifth ICC event, having played a key role in the last two ICC ODI and T20I World Cups.

Ravindra, Devon Conway and Will Young are selected as the top-order batting options, while Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman add depth and power to the batting department.

Pace bowler Jacob Duffy has been named as the squad’s stand-by player, to be included should Lockie Ferguson become unavailable because of ILT20 play-off commitments.

New Zealand begin their preparations for the Champions Trophy with a warm-up Tri-Series against Pakistan and South Africa in Karachi and Lahore, before an ICC warm-up match against Afghanistan in Karachi.

New Zealand will be looking to emulate the achievements of their 2000 counterparts, who lifted the title, then known as the ICC KnockOut Trophy, by defeating Sourav Ganguly’s India by four-wickets in a thrilling final in Nairobi, Kenya.

"Although the Champions Trophy hasn’t been played for a few years, the team is well aware of the history of the tournament and the fact New Zealand were the first winners of the tournament in 2000, when it was known as the ICC KnockOut Trophy," Stead said.

New Zealand's 2025 Champions Trophy campaign gets underway with the opening match of the tournament against Pakistan in Karachi on February 19.

"Although the Champions Trophy hasn’t been played for a few years, the team is well aware of the history of the tournament and the fact New Zealand were the first winners of the tournament in 2000, when it was known as the ICC KnockOut Trophy," Stead said.

Article Source: IANS